


Enough Tears

by Emriel



Series: Taken [29]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Amnesia, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emriel/pseuds/Emriel
Summary: The Dark Lord can be gentle. If he wants to. And it's enough to soothe a child's heart. Even a little.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort
Series: Taken [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/965817
Comments: 28
Kudos: 320





	Enough Tears

**Author's Note:**

> I found this lying around in my google docs and it felt kinda sweet and I thought it would fit the series somehow. There's a ton of other stuff there but hmn I'm just not that inspired to flesh them all out yet. (And I have a ton of WIPs) But anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this. I did enjoy rereading it when I stumbled upon it. Sometimes I even wonder if I'm the one who wrote them. I mean I'm sure I wrote them but since I wrote so many unposted stories, sometimes I just don't remember ever writing them. Which is weird.
> 
> As always. I'll go over this in a couple more days. No Beta.

"Does it hurt?"

Harry had his face pressed on the ground, his neck shackled to the floor, with his arms stretched out behind him.

The Dark Lord was combing through his hair. Just gentle touches. Featherlight.

"Why won't you agree to take my mark, Harry?"

Harry was twelve and all he wanted to do was say yes at this point. "You killed Ginny. My parents…"

The Dark Lord laughed. "You hardly knew them."

"Join me… Harry. Then it wouldn't be so painful. I'll take care of you even. Holder of my soul."

Harry tried to hold on to his resolve.

But two months in. He felt that he was wavering.

They fed him poison that made his lungs weak. And he kept fainting.

And his arms were straining behind him. As it was, he was kept as an ornament next to the Dark Lord whenever he did his meetings.

A permanent fixture next to the man’s makeshift throne.

And it made him feel vulnerable and scared.

When Tom Riddle took him from Hogwarts, Harry still had some fight left in him. But day by day, Voldemort made him witness atrocity after atrocity.

They would bring some random witch or wizard and torture them to make them pay or to gather information.

Sometimes, the Death Eaters would bring random muggles and have some “fun”. The Death Eaters were never allowed to touch him, only the Dark Lord could hurt him, and as he stayed chained up, he began wondering when it would be his turn next? When would they tire of him?

But Voldemort said there was no need to kill him because he held his soul. Harry didn’t understand what that meant.

He didn’t want to understand what it meant.

But right now, he didn’t really have anything. He had no dignity. He was just a body on display.

“Why do you hesitate? No one will save you, child. Why not accept my offer. Do you wish to continue suffering? Have you not learned your lesson? It is better to obey me than to be punished and you’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

“I… can’t.”

Voldemort smiled. His visage was that of Tom Riddle.

How Harry thought he could trust him was beyond him.

Look at what trust got him.

“You are held by false beliefs. You are held back by your memories. Perhaps I should erase them. I have no need for your continued denial of our bond. Your place is beside me.”

Harry looked up and saw Voldemort twirling his bone white wand.

Harry didn’t want to lose his memories. But he also didn’t want to betray his friends.

And that was when another coughing fit wracked through him. And he started coughing out blood.

“I can heal you. Whatever poison that is coursing through your veins can be healed over time, rest assured. If you join me, I will treasure you… Harry.”

The Dark Lord extended his offer once more and Harry just stared at him blankly.

His vision was waning.

* * *

The next moment, Harry woke up in a bed.

There were white robed people checking over him. But as he looked at his wrists, they were still in chains.

His lungs felt wet and sticky. And he wanted to cough it all out but strangely his body was sluggish and he couldn’t even move a thing.

Was he going to die soon?

Maybe that was better.

Maybe if he died, he’d wake up and realize this was just a dream.

“Awake already?”

The afternoon sun was streaming through the windows and the white robed people bowed to their master. The Dark Lord sat on the white bed and Harry closed his eyes.

“How much longer will you resist? Do you want me to threaten you, Harry? Well… perhaps there is no better teacher than experience. I threatened to erase your memories, and I shall start with something precious to you. In this world, who do you cherish the most?”

And Harry’s green eyes were locked with Tom’s. The red eyes boring into his and his mind opened up like a clam.

“Ah, the mudblood. Ron Weasley… Dumbledore… Hagrid. Of course. Who shall I pick? Perhaps I will remove every person you ever cherished in your life so you shall have some space for me?”

Tom grinned and Harry couldn’t even protest as his memories of Hermione faded one by one.

All he could do was cry.

“Ah, does it hurt? Do you know who you’re even crying for, Harry?”

Harry just blinked up at the Dark Lord, knowing he lost someone important, but he had no name or face to put it up with.

And this more than anything made him scared.

“Of course, then let’s continue shall we?”

Harry whimpered as his head hurt, as the memories he had of the kindly old wizard started disappearing too.

Ron Weasley was next.

The old lady that had cats.

Hagrid.

His Professors.

Neville.

Ginny.

And by then he was sobbing. Shaking. Wondering if all the memories he’d had left were the horrible ones with horrible people.

He opened his mouth and whispered in parseltongue, “ _Please stop… I’m sorry.”_

Voldemort smiled, “Why should I? You have proven to me that there is no point in keeping you as you are… Why should I stop, Harry?”

But Harry couldn’t come up with any reason.

“Then shall I continue?”

“ _No. Don’t_.”

Harry felt small. And he didn’t even say it but the thought crossed his mind and the Dark Lord read it.

“So you’re giving in? See how pointless your struggle was? Harry, say it… that you’ll be mine from now on.”

“ _I’ll be yours._ ”

Voldemort visibly looked satisfied as he whispered the words.

* * *

He was brought to the Dark Lord’s chambers. His new home.

He wore a collar then and Voldemort made him vow his allegiance.

And something in him changed.

Harry knew that he was already tied to him by his soul. Now there was more.

"You must rest. Your body needs to heal, child."

Tom was gentle. Reverent. As if he was a precious parcel that he could not even touch.

"It will take some time to heal you. This particular poison was designed to make you an invalid for the rest of your life… but Severus is already working on the cure as we speak. It might take years, but you will get better in time."

Harry nodded on the bed as Voldemort gave him a lavender vial that smelled sweet and metallic.

"Blood?"

"It has My blood."

Harry had no other choice and drank it.

The medicine made him lethargic but allowed his breathing to even out. It made the wet feeling subside, and Tom merely held his hands.

Voldemort had a pleased smile and said "Rest. I will see you tomorrow."

Harry didn’t know why, but he was afraid of being left alone. In such a big dark room.

Harry whimpered and asked, "Will you really… take care of me? Will it really stop hurting? It hurts so much, Tom."

He started coughing again and Voldemort frowned and said, "I promise you, I will heal you and I will care for you. No harm from my followers will ever befall you and should you ever hurt, it is because you displease me. You are mine. Harry. You swore it when you took your oath. I take care of my possessions very well."

Harry nodded at this. Trying to convince himself that he didn't make a mistake. He wondered why he resisted for so long. But he could not remember the other place he called home.

It felt like a fog. He could only remember that Tom had done it to punish him for resisting for so long. And that in the end, the loss of his memories was his fault.

Voldemort gazed down at him fondly. “You couldn’t have done anything against me, Harry. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You are precious to me.”

Harry closed his eyes.

* * *

Harry always felt relieved when Voldemort would come back. Harry didn’t know what was happening outside of the Dark Lord’s rooms, because for a long time, those rooms were his world, and his only companion was Tom.

It was a strange feeling.

Tom held out his hand.

"Let's take a bath?"

Harry followed him into the bathroom. This was also part of the norm. It felt as if he was playing house, and this was natural.

And he washed his face. Voldemort vanished his clothes and carried him to the tub.

The water was lukewarm.

"It would have been better had you given in from the start."

"I was stupid."

Harry answered quietly and Tom combed his hair back.

"You were. You're mine now and you obey me… let's keep it that way."

Harry knew that. He knew if he said yes at the start, he wouldn’t have gotten sick. And yet, it’s not as if he could go back and change the past.

Voldemort would hug him from behind. The tub was warm, and relaxing.

He almost fell asleep at Tom’s ministrations. Massaging suds into his scalp.

Harry took the offered towel and the thin garment. A white dress and a cloak.

Harry felt dizzy and almost fell to the floor when Tom caught him.

  
  


Tom held his hand and they apparated to the dining room.

"You will dine with me when I'm around . Otherwise you will eat inside your room."

* * *

His mark was to be special, and Voldemort hired an artist that would use his own blood on Harry’s back as ink.

Harry lied down on the bed, as the artist set out to create his masterpiece. Tom was watching him, and encouraging Harry but the dip of the needle was painful to his already sensitive body.

And yet he endured it.

When it was done, Harry was strangely euphoric.

“There is pleasure in pain, Harry. Come, see for yourself what it looks like.”

Tom conjured a mirror and Harry was treated to an exquisite sight of a red and black tattoo of the Dark Mark. It looked alive. He felt it throb when Tom placed a finger upon it.

“It suits you.”

* * *

Just like that, two years pass.

And Harry has gotten used to being the Dark Lord’s pet. His followers decided to call him that. For he was just like one. Protected and cared for. Sometimes even spoiled by the Dark Lord himself.

The Dark Lord’s castle was big but he was only allowed a small portion to explore. For his own protection apparently.

He hated it. Staying alone inside their room. There were books to read but sometimes he felt lonely.

* * *

Tom appeared beside the boy who was sleeping and kissed his forehead. His horcrux was adorable. And so delicate and fragile.

Harry woke up then and felt fear.

The Dark Lord smiled and kissed him.

Harry didn't try to fight back. Some part of him always knowing the Dark Lord didn't keep him alive just because he was merciful.

"Where has the fight in you gone?"

"... somewhere,” Harry answered.

“Where?”

“...gone. It died out. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Harry sighed and tried to hold back the tears.

“Fighting hurts, Tom. I don’t want to get hurt again.”

Tom merely smiled and said, “Is that so…?”

Harry turned his head away.

Tom joined him in bed. Occasionally the man would pretend to sleep beside him, even if his body didn’t need it.

But Harry welcomed the warmth and safety it gave him.

* * *

He followed the Dark Lord meekly, and tried to ignore the whispers behind his back.

At the end of the hallway when the door to the throne room opened.

Harry tries not to shiver and cry.

“Sit by my feet.”

And he sat there, like an ornament just like before. The chains help, to keep him from wanting to hide. So he held on to Tom’s leg.

The sickness makes him weak and before long he was falling asleep, despite the atrocity in front of him. And he's gotten used to this. The way the blood spills on the floor. The way limbs fall apart.

The way they beg and cry and scream and plead for their life.

Just people screaming out his name. But he didn’t know them. He didn’t know anyone. His master made sure of that. Only preferring for his attention to be on him and no one else.

Tom just looks at him with apparent fondness.

* * *

Harry wakes up to the feeling of hands on his hair.

And Tom’s red eyes glow.

Harry couldn’t stop the yawn.

“You fainted. The healers came by.”

Harry wasn’t sure what happened.

But it was nice to be carried for once. They stopped beside a couch by the fireplace.

"They said it will take some time before you regain your strength and that you might faint occasionally."

Harry just nodded numbly. He should have cherished the moments where he was actually healthy.

* * *

It was easy to rely on Tom.

It wasn’t that he had that much of a choice.

If he didn't let Tom take care of him, he would die.

And he was thankful that Tom took care of him.

And yet sometimes he'll feel angry and ungrateful.

But he was also scared of being punished because he knew the Dark Lord’s anger more than anyone.

* * *

Harry wondered how long he’s been a prisoner. Or was he even counted as one.

When the Dark Lord took over Britain, he finally gained some freedom.

Tom always had him by his side, and the sickness never really went away. Sometimes he wondered if there really was a cure. But he knew he was getting better. Slowly.

Sometimes, he thought darkly, it was because his master liked to see him weak and dependent on him.

But, it was better than…

Better than before?

Harry watched the clouds in the sky, wondering if he ever knew true freedom.

Or if he could ever desire it as much as he did before.

Tom more than made up for whatever cruelty he did in the past by just being _there_ for him. And for now, that was enough.

For now, the warm body that occasionally hugged him and praised him.

It was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm recently trying to develop more of my art~ and have gotten to writing Sefikura more because I couldn't find any inspiration for tommary. For a time it was even painful to even attempt to write it. I don't know. One day I plan to make more fanart for my two favorite pairings but my anatomy/skills aren't as good yet. T ^ T My twitter page is filled with NSFW Sefikura but my new [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nier_vanae/) is more wholesome. Shameless plug there. Haha. I really wanna transition to art and writing full time. One day. I think it's what makes me happy. More than working for someone else.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it. I love feedback!~


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